Cabinet doubles salaries of parliamentarians

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet on Wednesday doubled salaries of Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly, Deputy Chairman Senate, Deputy Speaker National Assembly and Members of the Parliament. Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said the cabinet at its meeting considered a 20-point agenda including draft agreements with some friendly countries for cooperation in different sectors. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired the meeting. She said the cabinet strongly condemned unprovoked Indian firing on the Line of Control and condoled with the families of the martyrs. About raise for the parliamentarians, she said the increase takes care of inflation and incorporates adhoc relief announced in previous years. It will be effective from first of October this year and its annual impact would be 400 million rupees. The Minister of State said despite increase, the salaries of MPs would be less than those of the Members of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan. She said the Prime Minister formed a Committee, headed by Federal Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, to propose amendments in PEPRA rules to update them and make them transparent. Members of the Committee include Federal Ministers Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Zahid Hamid and Qadir Baloch besides Finance Secretary. The Minister of State said the Cabinet empowered Ministry of Health to procure vaccine for immunization without following PEPRA rules but with the prior approval of UNICEF and the Government. The Federal Cabinet offered Fateha for the martyrs of Indian aggression along the Line of Control, and also offered prayers for the departed souls of FC and Police personnel who embraced martyrdom in recent terrorist attacks in Quetta and Peshawar. – Samaa/- APP